On the Potential for High Framerate ARFI Variance of Acceleration (VoA) Imaging

A significant risk factor in ischemic strokes is carotid atherosclerotic plaque that is susceptible to rupture, with rupture potential conveyed by plaque composition and structure. Prior work has shown that Variance of Acceleration (VOA), derived from Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) imaging, is capable of delineating plaque components. However, the method relies on focused ARF excitations at each lateral location, limiting framerate. To increase framerate, it is hypothesized that VoA imaging may be implemented using fast plane wave imaging techniques. In this work, VoA's ability to discriminate materials based on signal decorrelation and SNR is compared for conventional focused wave versus plane wave tracking methods. Relative to focused wave tracking, plane wave tracking yields comparable discrimination. This study suggests that a plane wave implementation of ARFI VoA analysis could be feasible for increased frame rate in atherosclerosis imaging.